How to Hem Jeans Pants with and without Sewing Machine?

So you bought a new pair of jeans from a sale. They look fashionable, chic, and they fit too. You’re all ready to go out with unmatched confidence in your new look – only to promptly almost slip and fall down.

What happened? The legs of the jeans are extremely long for you.

Now, we know it’s very difficult to find jeans with the perfect leg length if it’s not custom made. If the jeans are long, you’re actually in luck as you can solve the issue by shortening it.

While you can have a tailor perform the task for you, the simplicity of the task, as revealed by this article, will hopefully get you to consider hemming the pants on your own.

This article will cover how to hem jeans pants with and without a sewing machine. 

So, let’s get started.

How to Hem Jeans Pants without Sewing Machine

If you do not have a sewing machine, there is no need to fear. It’s quite possible to do without it. You’ll need to make sure you have needles, and a sharp tool for cutting (a scissor or rotary cutter will work fine) and just follow the steps below.

1. Mark where you are going to hem and how much you want to shorten your jeans. This is up to you to decide what suits you best.
2. Next, you will need to fold the bottom towards the hem. After creasing the fold, it will lie completely flat. Make sure it is folded by the right amount. Do this for the other leg using the exact same measurement.
3. Use your pins to hold the fold in place. Make sure the length of the fold is exactly as you desire or inserting and removing the pins will damage the fabric. Do this for the other leg to making sure they line up.
4. Using a sewing needle and wire, you have to stitch the folded portion just below the old hem. Repeat for the other leg. This ensures that you can remove the hem later in case you want your pants to appear longer.
5. Remove the pins as you sew the circumference of the pant legs.
6. You then need to open the hem. Do this by tucking the extra portion of the fabric of the folded cuff inside the leg of the pants. Next, you gotta push the original hem down, so its surface side is showing. In case you’re content and don’t expect to change the length of the jeans any time in the future, you can opt to remove the extra fabric. Make sure to cut it 1 inch below the latest hem.
7. Finally, you will need a steamer to remove the wrinkles from the hem. This will also straighten the loop of fabric stuck into the jeans, making it seem like this was the original length of the pants and giving it a nice finished look.

How to Hem Jeans Pants with Sewing Machine

It’s also possible to carry out this procedure using a sewing machine if you are worried you will mess up using your hands. The steps are generally the same with some minor changes to account for the use of the sewing machine. There are some minor precautions to take note of, which will be explained in the steps below.

1. First and foremost, wash the jeans, especially if they are new. Denim is quite tough, and doing a pre-wash will soften it making it easier to work with. If needed, wash and dry more than once.
2. Fold the pants inside out to see the inner seams. This allows easier sewing of the hem. An alternative could only be to simply just fold the legs inside out and avoid doing it to the rest of the pants.
3. Fold up the hem as much as you need to shorten the jeans. Make sure your crease is on the edge of the fold. Check if the size fulfills your needs.
4. Iron the fold to smooth it out and make it easier to work with. Make sure there are no uneven lines, or it will be difficult to sew.
5. Prepare your sewing machine using a thread with the color of your preference. The golden thread is usually used for jeans.
6. Place the pant legs on the sewing machine such that it will sew only the hem and not the openings of the legs. Sew a little below the hem and around the circumference of the leg.
7. Repeat for the other leg. If you are having issues working with denim, then use a thicker needle as denim is thicker than other fabrics.
8. Handle the sewing slowly. Denim is a bit tough, so the process will be slow, and trying to speed it up will leave a messy job.

Tips When Working with Denim

Denim is sometimes uncooperative, and so it can be a bit intimidating when working on your own. Here are some things to keep in mind when hemming your denim pants.

• Never forget the pre-wash. It softens the fabric. Also, wash with like colors so as to not ruin the look of your precious jeans.
• Make sure the tools you use are sharp. Denim can be quite tough, so you will need equally tough tools to cut through it. Replace the needles with thicker ones in your sewing machines if needed.
• Practice with scraps of denim to get a good feel before actually committing to the task.
• Pay attention to the seams as they are important guidelines when working. Keep them flat by ironing properly.
• You should take note that denim is quite vulnerable to fraying; hence, why you should use sharp and strong tools. Keep an eye out for the frays as they will ruin the finished look of your jeans. You can use the zigzag stitch on interior seams to reduce fraying.

Conclusion

Hopefully, after reading this, you will give it a go at sewing and hemming your jeans to fit your preferences. It might be difficult initially but keep at it, and soon you’ll be walking proudly in those good looking jeans of yours made to fit you and only you.